Cell-door-operating mechanism.



J. H. VAN DORN & J. T, WHITEHO USE. CELL DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.18,1913.

151 443 Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

ffifizesseoi J 6 W4 @@MJ H H U H U ./z. 5 WW 1 jzz/enfofsf omen s'rarns PATENT curren JAMES H. VAN DORN AND JOHN T. WHITEHOUSE,

OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE VAN DORN IRON WORKS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CEIL-DOOKOBERATING MECHANISM.

Application filed August 18, 1913. Serial No. 785,275.

, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES H. VAN DORN Mechanism, of whichthe following is a full, 7

clear, and exact description.

This invention is an improvement upon the cell door controlling andoperating mechanism which is shown and described in Letters Patent No. 1,007,316, grantedOc tober 31, 1911, to D. B. Van Dorn and J. T.

Whitehouse for prison cell door mechanism.

The primary object of this invention is to make it possible for the jailer, in the j ailers corridor, to open any of doors of a row of cells without havin to unlock and partially open every other oor in the r0w.-

Another object of the invention is to make it convenient for an attendant, when he puts a prisoner into one cell of a row of cells, whose doors chance to be open, to shut and lock the door of that cell into which the prisoner is put.

This invention involves the use of a master bar operable from the jailers corridor, and of bolts carried by the cell doors for engagement with said master bar, and in these respects is like the mechanism of said prior patent. But it is unlike the construction of said prior patent in that the bolts, on those cell doors which are closed, are not in operative engagement with said master bar. Likewise the master bar is so constructed that it may be moved in the door opening direction so as to open all of the doors which have been unlocked, without any interference from the bolts on the doors which have not been unlocked. At the same time the master bar and the bolts carried by the cell doors are so constructed and arranged that the master bar may automatically engage the bolts of all unlocked doors, however much or little the doors may be opened, and thereafter simultaneously open all of the doors the full width, or s1 multaneously close all of the doors. 7

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts by which the above mentioned characteristics of operation have invented a certainnew and usedoor or combination door when that ably supported.

'tion of the upper part of the end cell of a row of cells. in which the invention is embodied, said view showing the new features in the positions they occupy when the cell door is closed and locked. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the parts which constitute the invention in the position they occupy when the said door has been unlocked. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same parts when the door lockingmechanism is in the position to lock the door if the door be shut; and Fig. 4 is a sectional detail of the double acting spring and which will partially open any door when it is unlocked;

and will move in the closing direction any fully opened door is disconnected from the master bar.

The construction shown in the drawing is like that which is shown in the prior patent Y mentioned in many respects. Each cell door A. has an upwardly extended hanger plate a, on which are the rollers a (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1), by which the door is slid- A master bar F is arranged slide longitudinally adjacent to the hanger plates of all the cell doors, and it has on its top edge a notch f for each cell door.

- The means shown for moving this master bar are substantially like those shown in said prior patent, and therefore need not be here described. Mounted on the hanger plate of each cell door is a vertically slid ng bolt E, on which a roller 8 is mounted. This roller rests upon the top edge of the lifter bar G and rides along the same as the door is opened or closed. This lifter bar is pivoted at that end toward which the door moves in opening, to a crank arm n fixed to a short rock shaft N. [Near the other end of the lifter bar it is provided with a down- Wardly extended lug g. the right hand edge of which is inclined. This end of the lifter bar rests upon a roller 9 which is pivoted to a fixture, and. in such'position that as 'the lifter bar G is moved endwise' to the right,

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.-

Q area lee a vertical rock shaft H. The function of this rock shaft is substantially the same as the function of the similarly lettered rock shaft shown in said prior patent. That 1s to say, by rocking it the door locking mechanism may be unlocked. v locking mechanism may be employed, and it may be contained in the lock case M. An-

other arm h} secured to this rock shaft is connected by means of a cable 17 with an operating lever P located in the jailers corridor.

It is to be understood that the locking mechanism, whatever may be its specific form, is such that when adoor 1s closed 1t will be automatically locked. To unloclrlt, the jailer pulls down on that leverP which is associated with said door, and thereby turns the rock shaft H, whereby the door is unlocked. The rocking of rock shaft acts to move the rod K which, by pulling on cable K, rocks the rock shaft N, in a dlrection such that the lifter bar is moved to the right causing the inclined face of the lug g to ride up the roller 9 whereby bolt E is lifted out of the notch f in the master bar. To the extent described there is little, if any, substantial difference between the constructionshown in the accompanying drawing and that which is described in the prior patent mentioned. It will be noted, however, that the walls of the notch f 1n the lifter bar are not of the same height,the side f which engages with the bolt as the lifter bar is being moved to the right to close the door, being considerably higher than the opposite side f of the notch which engages with said bolt E when the door is being opened. Likewise this blot E carries an adjustable tappet screw '6 which is so placed that when the door moves toward the closing position this tappet will engage the left vertical face of the log '9 on the lifter bar, and will thereby move the lifter bar to the righta short distance. This distance, however, is suilicient to cause the in clined face of said lug to ride so far on the roller 9 that the top surface of the-lifter bar will be raised far enough to lift bolt E until its lower edge is in a plane which is above the top edge of the door opening wall f of the associated notch f. When, .therefore, a cell door; is closed, the bolt E assoelated withsuch cell door is directly over the associated notch f, but its lower. end is above the door opening side'f of said notch,

Any suitable door but is not above the door closing side ff thereof. If this construction be employed in connection with each door of a row of cells, it is quite apparent that the jailer can unlock as many cell doors as he chooses by manipulating the appropriate levers P. As he does this, the associated lifter bar for each door will be moved to the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and thereby the bolt E will be raised until itslower end is above the door closing side" f of the associated notch 7". When the described parts have been moved to this position it will be understood that the'rock shaft H has been so rocked as to unlock the door. Thereupon a spring plunger R, carried by the door, reactingagainst afixed bracket T, will. open the door slightly, thereby carrying the bolt la to the left of the associatednotch f. When this has been done the lever P, by which these results have been. accomplished should be restored to the door locking position. When this has been done, the lifter bar Gr and the bolt E will take the position shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. "When, new, the

master barlfi is moved in the door opening direction, the inclined face thereon adjacent to the notch will move thebolt E upward, and said bolt will drop into the notch f so that by the further movement of the master bar F this door and all other doors in like condition may be opened wide. It is to be observed, however, that the. bolts E which are associated with every cell door which was allowed to remain locked will be in the position shown in Fig. 1 when the leftward movement of the master bar begins; and this permits the associated notched part of the master bar to pass beneath said bolt, as said master bar moves in the door opening direction.

The spring plunger it above mentioned is a double acting afi'air which is normally held in a neutral osition by oppositely acting springs r, 7 0th ends of the plunger project from the supporting bracket a W hen a cell door has been fully opened, its spring plunger R will have engaged a fixed bracket whereby spring T will be put under tension If, when a cell door is open, the jailer in the jailers corridor, by operating the proper lever P, lift the bolt E of that door out of engagement with the master bar, the spring plunger R will move the now freed door in the closing direction far enough to carry bolt E away from the notch i. The ailer should now move the lever P ack to the normal position. This will cause the bolt E to be lowered so'thait when the masterbar is moved in the door closing direction, it will automatically engage said bolt But before the master bar is so moved, a jailer in the prisoners corridor, i. e. at the cell dpor, can close said door. And when the star s it "will be automatically locked,

lfli:

mamas as, for example, by the mechanism provided for that purpose, as shown in the prior patent mentioned.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. In cell door operating mechanism, the combination of a sliding cell door, a movable bar having-anotch, and beveled. surfaces on both sides of the notch leading thereto, a vertically movable bolt carried by said door and adapted to engage said notch, means operable from a distance for lifting said bolt, and means which are operated by the closing of the door for lifting said bolt.

2. In cell door operating mechanism, the combination of a sliding cell door, a sliding master bar having a notch whose wall on the door closing side is higher than the wall on the door opening side, a vertically 'sliding bolt carried by the door for engagement in said notch, means for lifting the bolt above the lower wall of said notch when the door is closed, and means operable from a distance for lifting the bolt above the higher wall of said notch at will.

3. In cell door operating mechanism, the combination of a sliding cell door, a movable master bar having a notch whose door closing side is higher than its'door opening side, a vertically movable bolt carried by the door and adapted to engage in said notch, means operable from a distance for lifting the said bolt above the highest wall of said notch, and means which are caused to operate by the closing of said door to lift said bolt above the door opening side of said notch.

4. In cell door operating mechanism, the combination of a sliding cell door, a movable master bar having a notch whose door closing side is higher than its door opening side, a vertically movable bolt carried by the door and adapted to engage in said notch, means operable from a distance for liftin the'said bolt above the highest wall of sai notch, a lifter bar on which the bolt rides as the cell door opens and closes, which lifter bar has a depending lug which is inclined on one face, a supporting device on which said inclined face of the lug will ride as the lifter bar is moved endwise whereby the lifter bar will likewise be raised, and a tappet carried by the door which will engage said lifter bar and move it endwise as the door is closed.

5. In cell door operating mechanism, the combination of a cell door, a sliding master bar having a notchiwhose door closing side is higher than its door opening side, a vertically movable bolt carried by the door and adapted to engage said notch, a lifter bar on which said bolt rides as the cell door is opened and closed, means whereby the endwise movement of the lifter bar will'cause it to move upward, door locking mechanism, door unlocking mechanism operable from a distant station, and connections between said door unlocking mechanism and said lifter bar, which connections include a flexible member, and a tappet carried by the door and adapted to engage said lifterbar and move it endwise as the door is closed.

6. In cell door 0 erating mechanism, the

combination of a sliding cell door, two fixed brackets, and spring actuated mechanism carried by said door and adapted to engage with and to be put under tension by said brackets respectively when the door is opened and when it is-closed, a master bar operable from a distant station and having a bolt notch, a bolt carried by the door for engaging said notch, and means operable from a distance for disengaging the bolt from the door opening side of said notch.

7. In cell door operating mechanism, the combination of asliding cell door, a movable bar having a notch and beveled surface on both sides of thenotch leading thereto. a

vertical movable bolt carried by said door and adapted to engage said notch, and means which are operated by the closin of the door for lifting said bolt above the oor opening side of said notch.

Intestimony whereof, we hereunto aflix our signatures in the presence oftwo wit- IIGSSES.

JAMES H. VAN DORN. JOHN T. WHITEHOUSE.

Witnesses:

JOHN TOON, E. R. MATIHIAB. 

